RPGFan Music of the Year 2023 Editors’ Favorites: Mike Salbato

Coffee Talk Episode 2 ~Hibiscus & Butterfly~ Official Soundtrack

It’s safe to say that if a Coffee Talk game releases in a given year, I will talk about it in this feature. Toge Productions’ coffee shop sim visual novel isn’t the only game of its kind with a chill soundtrack (hello, VA-11 HALL-A), but composer Andrew Jeremy really left an impression on me in 2020 with the first game’s music. Coffee Talk Episode 2 ~Hibiscus & Butterfly~ features a blend of brand-new material and the occasional reappearance of motifs from Coffee Talk.

Once again, Jeremy delivers with high-quality music that both creates and complements the mood for a given scene or conversation, whether it’s a funky little beat on “Night Road,” the introspective “Drinking Lovely Coffee,” or the optimistic, upbeat vibes of “Sunny Day of Cold Winter.” Like the first game, Hibiscus & Butterfly’s tracks are all very long, usually around six minutes. For slow-paced, gorgeous lo-fi cafe music, there’s nothing I want more than these long runtimes to let them sink in and breathe.

Narratively, Coffee Talk Episode 2 expands on some familiar characters’ tales while introducing new ones. In a fun twist, the game’s soundtrack exists in the game world too, with Andrew Jeremy being an unseen musician named Aremy Jendrew. In Episode 2, one of the characters even gets to work with “Jendrew,” making his in-game avatar (as it were) a more established part of the world, which is such a fun choice. It means the characters know and love his work as much as I do, which transforms this creative choice from a fun self-insert to something that actually makes me feel closer to the cast.

Highlighted Track: “Colorfully Painted Skies”

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Original Soundtrack

In many ways, if you played The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, you have an idea what awaits you in Tears of the Kingdom. A rare direct sequel in the series, TotK pulled off the miraculous feat of following the series’ biggest upheaval in its 35+ year history and managing to improve upon every aspect. With an even grander scale — more to do and see — every corner of Hyrule was new again. And while the soundtrack features several returning themes, much of it is new while still retaining BotW’s immersive ambient soundscape. Both games are perfect examples of when less can be more, accenting Link’s journey and setting a mood in the most subtle and delicate ways.

Not that the game doesn’t have its share of music that makes a statement — Colgera’s battle theme and many tracks that accompany the much-more-present-than-series-usual narrative have real weight to them and aren’t content to be part of the background soundscape. That the many musicians on Tears of the Kingdom delivered this massive 300+ track album covering so much ground (and sky) while maintaining a cohesive feel is an even more monumental task than finding all those Koroks.

(Note: While this album didn’t release until July 2024, the game released in 2023.)

Highlighted Track: “Diving”

Forge Ahead: FINAL FANTASY XIV ～ Arrangement Album ～

If you’re a Final Fantasy XIV fan, you probably already own this. The latest (in 2023) of the piano-band combo albums, Forge Ahead, covers what many rightly consider the pinnacle (so far) of the long-running MMO, with pivotal tracks from the Shadowbringers and Endwalker expansions. While there are several highlights, like the fun piano rendition of “Carrots of Happiness” and the kick-ass band renditions of raid music like “Scream,” these albums are all about pianist Keiko for me. And now, vocalist Amanda Achen as well.

Look, those raid songs are great, and hearing or seeing Masayoshi Soken’s band, The Primals, perform is always a good time. But Keiko’s piano work is as masterful as the song selections on the album. The absolute melancholy in “Black Steel, Cold Embers” is at its most poignant here with her performance, and I don’t even know how she pulled off “Dedicated to Moonlight” on piano. Finally, “Flow” brings me to tears in any form, but pairing Keiko’s piano with Amanda’s vocals makes this version even more touching. And because the music team knows their audience, “Flow Together” is also here in a moving band version.

An honorable mention shoutout goes to FFXIV: Endwalker EP5 that released this year too, and it is six tracks of absolute majesty. Three took me back to my childhood with stunning new arrangements of Final Fantasy IV music, while the other three capped off the godly goodness of the Myths of the Realm raid series in epic fashion. These got a “proper” release on 2024’s Growing Light album, though they were first available thanks to this EP.

Highlighted Track: “Piano: Black Steel, Cold Embers”

Dead Cells: Return To Castlevania

As someone who’s been playing games since the mid-80s, it’s hard to pin down what modern-day Konami is. They were out of the game development scene for years, but now we’re seeing critically acclaimed remakes and excellent collections of Castlevania, TMNT, and more. And in 2023, before Vampire Survivors would come full circle and get Castlevania DLC, this wildly unexpected thing happened where Dead Cells had a whole mini-revival (they say it only happens every 100 years, but history proves it’s more often than that). Part of this DLC was this (vampire) killer soundtrack featuring nearly 90 minutes of awesome new arrangements of fan-favorite Castlevania music, with new takes on classic CV and post-Symphony of the Night Michiru Yamane stylings. Who would have expected an official album in 2023 with a near-regal gothic version of “Bloody Tears,” an unexpectedly plucky “Lost Paintings,” and much more? What a delightful pile of tunes.

Highlighted Track: “Lost Paintings”

Sea of Stars Original Soundtrack

Sabotage Studios has never shied away from citing Chrono Trigger as a major inspiration for Sea of Stars. Its influence is widespread, extending to the visual style, world map, some aspects of battles, and more. The soundtrack is not an exception, but like everything about the game, it pulls off something many games can’t — transcending homage status and finding a distinct identity. Nothing in Eric W. Brown’s musical compositions sounds like Yasunori Mitsuda’s work on Chrono Trigger, but it evokes many similar feelings, with peaceful town themes, thrilling battle tracks, dramatic boss battles, and more. In short, it sounds of the time without actually being from the time.

I may take issue with the weirdly “pals hanging out on Discord” casual style of Sea of Stars’ writing, but the gameplay is a blast, and the music is rock solid. And while Brown and Vincent Jones don’t need extra help creating a killer soundscape, it is still very cool that Sabotage got Mitsuda to contribute some tracks as well.

Highlighted Track: “Sleeper Island”